CONGESTION MANAGEMENT : Some Thoughts

December 10, 2014

In a modern busy metropolis, traffic congestion is a major hurdle in our journey to create a Smart City that everyone is talking about. A congestion management plan must take into consideration all relevant factors like the ever-exploding vehicle population on the road, geometry of the city roads, travel needs of citizens, and the needs of various administering authorities having jurisdiction in parts or whole of the city.

No single approach can be best-suited for managing congestion. In event of mismatch or clash of jurisdictions, divergent or conflicting visions of the decision-making authorities, or ideological differences between and the availability and conditioning of external funds, a consensus-based approach scores over the conventional vision or plan-based approach, effective stakeholder-collaboration often delivers.

It is important to bear in mind that a consensus-based approach often leads to delay and inaction unless such consensus can be reached quickly and in a sustainable manner. By contrast, a plan-based approach is heavily dependent on professional planners, and the needs of some stakeholders including bureaucrats and politicians could have been missed or ignored. This approach is also subjective in that the absence from the office of the person with the vision could derail the process altogether.

A key enabler in a consensus-based approach is the formulation of the strategy through consensus, commitment and public support for a better understanding of congestion problems, and must lead to creation of innovative solutions with public support and acceptability. Taking concerns and objections of the public into account early in the implementation phase often proves cost-effective in the long run. Such an approach can effectively stem breakdowns in the process.
To be honest to ourselves, we must accept that there are no “miracle” solutions – long-term congestion outcomes will only be delivered through a well-framed process that addresses congestion in all its aspects at the metropolitan level in ways that include:
• Understanding what congestion is and how it affects the urban region.
• Developing and monitoring relevant congestion indicators.
• Releasing existing capacity or creating additional capacity using new infrastructure
• Managing demand for road and parking space consistent with a shared vision on how the city should develop.

The success or failure that cities experience in tackling congestion will ultimately depend on how well they organize themselves to carry out the task they set for themselves. The ability of policy makers and their collaborators to define correct objectives is thus fundamental for congestion management, and is a critical stepping stone for achieving a Smart City status

By Sudipto Chakarvaty

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Articles, Traffic Congestion

TRAFFIC CONGESTION : A Road-User Perspective

December 10, 2014

These days, everyone is talking about creation of Smart Cities. So what has this got to do with traffic congestion on roads? A “Smart City” promises its citizens a very high quality of life by planned usage of resources – physical infrastructure included – to create an eco-system of sustainable economic development, living, governance, mobility, environment, and so on. Towards this objective, a Smart City is expected to deploy automated controls to achieve this. Smart transportation is a key enabler for enhanced mobility in Smart Cities.

How often have you got stuck in traffic while travelling to catch a flight, train, to get emergency medical assistance or to attend to that urgent meeting or for an interview? Something that each one of us in cities experience frequently, and are not too pleased doing so!

The feelings of the hapless traveler in such situations would most likely be something like:
 Ugh ! Why so many vehicles on the road ? Can’t this be controlled?
 Why can’t we have wider and/or enough alternative roads for smooth travel?
 These slow moving vehicles should keep off the main roads
 Could the police not tame these reckless drivers ?
 Parking on the roads is a curse !
 Shops and other encroachments on roads are eating away the road space and so on
Such situations do reflect the utter chaos faced during busy traffic hours, and scream for something to be urgently done to mitigate the road users’ travails. For only then would the dreams of achieving a “Smart City” status for our cities be realized.

From a road user perspective, managing such situation requires either reduction of vehicular traffic volumes or freeing up available space on the road. One would readily conclude that this approach would lead us to the much-needed salvation from the demon called “congestion”.

A closer view of this perception, while endorsing it prima facie, calls for a deep introspection and brings a none-too-easy “to do” tasks. A sample wish list would include, but not be limited to:
 Restrict the number of new vehicles that hit the city roads daily
 Enforce parking space availability for people buying cars
 Strictly handle the menace of haphazard parking on roads
 Create more parking space – even using multi-storeyed and/or underground structures
 Make public transport available, safe, frequent, affordable
 Discourage use of personal vehicles by levying hefty taxes
 Plan business and work areas (office/factory/etc.) to minimize travel
 Encourage car-pooling (incentives, tax exemptions, concessional parking charges, etc.)

The Author-Mr Sudipto chakravarty

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Articles, Traffic Congestion

TUNNEL HIGHWAYS IN INDIA

December 10, 2014

Tunnels provide an effective method of linking hilly and other difficult areas, often curtailing journey time. The Indian road network does not have too many tunnels on date, but some of these constitute critical links of important highways in various parts of the country. Existing tunnels on roads and highways include the Jawahar Tunnel (2.6 km), a vital road link connecting Jammu with Kashmir, Bhatan Tunnel (1 km) on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, and so on.

Several more tunnels are either planned or under various stages of construction in different parts of the country. The one under construction below the Rohtang Pass in the Leh-Manali Highway will be the longest (8.8 km) in India and the highest in the world, and would pass through the Eastern Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas.

Whether these tunnels reduce travel time between end points or are the preferred or only means of travelling between them, the adequate safety and security of travelers during transit is of paramount importance. The perceived security threats from natural and man-made causes may include:

 Blocked traffic
 from heavy snowfall outside (Jawahar tunnel faces this several time each year)
 from accidents or road damages (motorists come to know when they are already part of the blockage and cannot escape)
 from fallen stones or other material falling off the moving vehicles

 Lack of ventilation
 In shorter tunnels, the draft of air due to vehicle movement provides natural ventilation.
 In longer tunnels (typically more than 500 m), the air draft from moving vehicles becomes inadequate and additional means of forced ventilation becomes essential  Dark interiors
 most tunnels have little or no illumination in the interior and the motorists are dependent solely on their vehicle lights  In the event of vehicle light failure, the motorists are often required to move in pitch dark interiors

The modern day technology offers a range of solutions to mitigate these conditions, like –
 VIDS (Video Incident Detection System) – to detect incidents/blockages, etc.
 CCTV Cameras with infra-red capability to facilitate round-the-clock surveillance in tunnels
 VMS (Variable Message Sign) displays well ahead of the tunnel entry for advisories to motorists
 Dedicated communication facilities to enable users or maintenance teams to seek emergency assistance or to send SoS messages to Emergency Control Rooms

However there is no ONE SOLUTION THAT SUITS ALL – it must be customized to each specific location and site conditions.

Sudipto Chakarvaty

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Highway, highway on my plate

3rd Indian PTV User Group Meeting 7th Nov’14 (Friday)

November 3, 2014

Dear Sir/Mam

Sunovatech’s 3^rd PTV Vision User Group meeting is round the corner. This mailing provides with all the important information regarding User Group Meeting, Please note:

Venue:
The User Group Meeting takes place on 7^th November (Friday) at the Auditorium YMCA, Jai Singh Road, Connaught Place New Delhi.

Registration starts at 8.30 at the entry of Auditorium. (if not registered yet, please register yourself through mail or call or through web:www.sunovatech.com)

Venue Information:

Land Mark: The Park Hotel, Connaught Place

Nearest metro Stations: Rajiv Chowk (Gate No.6)

UGM Agenda:

A copy of the UGM Agenda is attached with this mail for your reference.

Presentation:

Duration: 20 minutes allocated for the each presentation which includes the time for a few questions as well.

Best Presentation Awards:

Best presentation Award: INR 10,000/- + Trophy + Certificate.

Best Presentation Award First Runners-up: Trophy + Certificate.

Best Presentation Award second Runners-up: Certificate.

All User presentations will be evaluated by the listeners and delegates at the UGM based on the criteria attached with this mail. The Total score will be averaged by the number of verdicts received at the end of each presentation session. The awards will be announced during the evening social event.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email or you could call on +919650066484 or +918447055441

We look forward to welcoming you to this year’s Indian Vision Traffic User Group Meeting in new Delhi.

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Default

Stalled road projects get policy push

October 28, 2014

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Roads infrastructure is at murky stage with current logjams in projects. It is a tough road ahead for the newly-formed government as it has to put in place correct policies and reforms to ease the situation.Road sector is crucial for economic growth. Realizing this, the BJP-led government is giving priority to development of road transportation.Business leaders attribute the slack in this sector to lack of political will,which didn’t allow policies to take off in recent past.

The Indian road sector continues to face multiple challenges this financial year with high interest rates, sluggishness in awarding road contracts, reduced availability of funds, slowdown in execution, and increased competitive intensity.However, many projects awarded over the last one year are hanging ire because of delay in land acquisition, clearances, and financial closure.Expectations are fairly high from the Narendra Modi-led government, which won a clear majority in the elections. After a few days of becoming Prime Minister, he said, “A nation that gives impetus to infrastructure, be it roads, rail,airport, that is where chances of development increase. We have to take ownership to build a strong nation.” Business sentiments are improving and corrective actions are being taken to lift the sector from the prolonged sluggishness.

The public-private-partnership (PPP) model of awarding road projects has proved to be a complete failure in India, leading to a dip in road construction to a mere 3 km a day. Challenges are many – overall economic downturn, lack of equity in the market, difficulty in arranging debt, highly-leveraged balance sheets for highways developers and land acquisition, approval and clearance- related issues. Blaming the UPA regime for the present situation, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said the previous government awarded projects without acquiring even 10 per cent of land, which resulted in delays and cost overruns. In a major policy shift, the NDA government has decided to implement projects on Engineering Procurement and Construction(EPC) mode.

At present, 437 projects, entailing an investment of around `21 lakh crore, are delayed due to various issues across infrastructure sector.

Around 260 road projects worth`60,000 crore are stuck, owing to clearances and approvals. All efforts are being made to club road transport and railway ministries for faster implementation of projects. Also in an important decision, the process of clearing road bridges has been simplified with online application. The NHAI would bear construction and maintenance costs of the projects. Some of the decisions are:

▪ MoEF to allow state governments to give permission for sand mining up to 20 hectare as against the existing norm of 5 hectare

▪ State government and regional office MoEF will be allowed to clear linear projects, involving forest land up to 40 hectare

▪ National Board of Wild Life approves projects, falling within 5-10 km radius of various sanctuaries

▪ Railways to standardize ROB & RUB designs & to put the mechanism online

The NHAI board has given in principle approval for creation of a body, Asset Reconstruction Company, which would try to make stalled and non-commercially viable projects feasible. Indian Banker’s Association has already given its consent as most of the roads are turning non- performing assets (NPA). The entity would have two options: Either to take over an entire project, according to the clause of the concession agreement, or complete a small portion of the delayed work. This is a welcome move as it will help improve the situation in the cash-starved sector. There are numerous disputes, involving arbitration cases amounting to `26,556 crore investments between developers and NHAI. The NHAI has so far settled `10,550-crore projects with concessionaires. At least 49 pending claims, involving 26 contractors, has been cleared.

For ending corruption, the Amendment in Motor Vehicle Act is proposed in next session of parliament. Some of these changes would be based on best practices of the world like e-governance. The RTOs would be linked to e-governance to bring transparency in the system, plagued by malpractices.

The government would have to work on a policy framework to assure at least 16 per cent internal rate of return for infrastructure projects. This would safeguard developers from foreign exchange fluctuations and boost investment in the sector.India has to soon embark on the next wave of economic growth, which will encompass some fundamental shifts in growth model as well as larger and bigger social reach to beneit its vast population. Being one of the fastest growing economies of the world requires physical infrastructure facilities to continue the pace of development process. The new government at the Centre has to build and expand its key infrastructure to global standards and road sector plays an important role in it.

Prerna Singh :,Sr.Analyst, Roads Infrastructure,Infraline Energy

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Articles, Road

future smart city

October 13, 2014

Source:You tube

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Smart City

‘Hyderabad has all ideals of growing into a smart city’

October 8, 2014

Hyderabad is well positioned and has all the ideals to transform into a smart city, opined the foreign delegates participating at the XI Metropolis World Congress here.

The delegates, who have experience covering urban development projects in top cities globally and heading hackathon competitions annually, strongly felt that the idea of smart city was not just about the technology but it’s the people, and particularly the leadership of the city, that was able to mobilise the interest of civic and academic community, and the private sector to constantly interact to generate the best local ideas for domestic and global problems.

In the run up to XI Metropolis World Congress, the Indian School of Business and Telangana government have kicked off Urban Hackathon, inviting the socially-conscious application developers to create technology solutions to address the challenges faced by the urbanites.

Of the 20 teams shortlisted, five would be declared winners for their frugal innovations for addressing urban traffic management and parking solutions, cleanliness and sanitation, disaster management, women and children safety and slum healthcare solutions.

Explaining that smart cities doesn’t mean just big skscrapers beaming lights and fibre optic cables running fast, Tim Campbell from San Fransisco, having worked for World Bank on urban development, said smart cities were the one’s where civil society and government worked together to make them more liveable.

He further stated “if the Hackathon and Hyderabad’s response to Metropolis is any indication, then the city definitely has a bright future”. Campbell wrote a book titled ‘Beyond Smart Cities’.

Meanwhile, speaking to mediapersons today, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) commissioner Somesh Kumar, which is part of the organising committee for Metropolis, said they were expecting more than 2,000 delegates, including 400 from abroad, to participate in the mega event.

Andhra Pradesh governor ESL Narasimhan will inaugurate the Congress on October 7, which will be attended by Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhara Rao among other dignitaries. President Pranab Mukherjee will address the valedictory function scheduled on October 9.

Source:Business Standard

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Hyderabad, Smart City

Indore: Smart City project to get a push at global summit

October 8, 2014

Officials of UAE-based SmartCity, Dubai, will take part in the Global Investors’ Summit in Indore and also explore the possibility of developing a smart city in Madhya Pradesh. The state government plans to develop a smart city on 1,000 acres of land at a location between Indore and Bhopal.

“A team of SmartCity, Dubai, will explore the possibilities of developing a smart city like the one in Kochi. A plan and proposed model of the smart city is being prepared,” a state government official said.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, during his visit to Dubai in August, had met SmartCity chief executive officer Abdullatif Almulla and discussed the proposed smart city project.

Almulla is also the chief business development officer of Dubai Holding, the company which is the main promoter of the Smart City project in Kochi. SmartCity, Dubai, was recently given permissions to construct the first building of Kochi Smart City with an investment of $29 million.

The Kochi Smart City will be the first in India which would be automated township where knowledge-based companies would operate. However, the Kochi Smart City project has been delayed by several years due to protests by opposition parties over concessions on land and other sops. The global recession that started in 2007 also resulted in delays.

Another smart city in Madhya Pradesh is coming up near Ujjain. The Union government will soon start the process for construction of the smart city, being developed under Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project.

The DMICDC will invite international competitive bidding for developing trunk infrastructure including water supply, sewerage treatment and roadways among others. The government will provide funds for the trunk infrastructure through DMIC Trust.

The master plan for the smart city in Ujjain, which will be an integrated industrial township, has already been accepted by the state government and the land acquisition has been completed. The site for the proposed Vikram Udyogpuri is located about 8km from the temple town of Ujjain, which is about 55km from Indore.

Source:Hindustan Times

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Default, Government (Govt), Smart City

Solar-powered electronic toll plazas to be set up pan-India

October 8, 2014

NEW DELHI: Close on heels of Centre’s announcement to install advanced electronic toll collection system pan-India, the Highways Ministry has said the plazas will be solar-powered.

“The Ministry proposes to develop solar powered toll plazason NHs across the country in order to reduce their carbon footprint,” a Road Transport and Highways Ministry official said.

The Ministry has sought designs for such advanced solar plazas from architects, professionals and qualified engineers by October 31 announcing a prize of Rs 10 lakh for the best entry followed by Rs 7 lakh and Rs 5 lakh for entries qualifying for second and third places respectively, the official said.

NHAI-promoted Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL) last month said it has inked a pact with Axis Bank for services related electronic toll collection, which the government plans to introduce pan-India.

Considering the complexities and geographical spread, the nationwide electronic toll collection (ETC) would be first of its kind in the whole world, the Ministry has said.

The electronic toll collection (ETC) system on Delhi – Mumbai stretch of the national highways is in the process of operationalisation and a nationwide rollout will be carried out by the end of year.

Earlier this year, IHMCL had signed agreement with ICICI Bank also and it has two banks now to perform clearing and settlement of electronic toll transaction, which is a key requirement for electronic toll collection.

This is subsequent to the initiative taken by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, NHAI and IHMCL for implementation of unified Electronic Toll Collection on Indian national highways.

Electronic Toll Collection enables road users to pay highway tolls electronically without stopping at the toll plazas.

“The unique number of the RFID FASTag affixed on the wind shield of the vehicle will be read by the readers fitted in the dedicated ‘ETC’ lanes of plazas and the toll will be deducted automatically,” a Ministry statement has said earlier.

Road users can enrol and get “FASTag” affixed on their vehicles at designated toll plaza locations or Point of Sale (POS) stations of Axis bank and ICICI bank.

Such type of highway tag brands are common in developed countries and are known by different names like “Eazee Pass”, “SunPass” in the US, “e-Pass” in Australia, “Salik” in Dubai etc.

Source:Economic Times

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Toll Plaza

L&T Technology Services bets on smart machines

October 8, 2014

Mumbai: L&T Technology Services, a unit of India’s largest engineering and construction company Larsen and Toubro Ltd (L&T), is betting on smart and connected machines in the belief that analytics and the so-called Internet of Things (IoT) will shape the future of engineering. The firm that offers solutions for product design, prototyping and testing and embedded system design, among others, partnered US-based Proximetry, Inc., an IOT device management solutions provider, in January, to cater to the market of connected devices that are critical when operating electrical substations and large industrial facilities.

On 25 September, it announced a tie-up with Cisco Systems, Inc. to jointly invest in a global solution centre in Bangalore to work on connectivity and convergence-based solutions. “We are starting with 3-4 projects in the transportation sector, and are in the process of building the team. Some of the work has been demonstrated in the past in L&T. The idea is to explore how we can work with engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies to make railways, metros, and other mass transit modes more productive, intelligent and safe with the help of Internet protocol (IP)-based communications, Wi-Fi services, video surveillance, and automated operations,” Keshab Panda, chief executive of L&T Technology Services, said in an interview. Cisco’s connected transportation solutions aim at providing a centralized view of highway systems, enabling vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) communication so that automobiles can “talk” to each other and with traffic lights, roads, toll plazas, rail crossings and roadside cameras. The solutions also envisage real-time alerts on weather, traffic, and emergencies besides providing greater collaboration between emergency and transit operators and agencies. L&T Technology Services, said Panda, also hopes to take advantage of L&T’s strength in the transportation infrastructure and rail transportation sectors, before “expanding to other areas such as manufacturing, defence, and the off-highway transport segment”.

L&T Technology Services, known as L&T Integrated Engineering Services (IES) till it was rebranded in September 2012, has about 9,500 employees and had revenue of about Rs.2,150 crore in the year ended 31 March, according to Panda. “By the end of this fiscal (2014-15), we will become a $450 million (about Rs.2,750 crore) turnover company,” said Panda, adding that the company gets only 3-4% of its revenue from L&T, and over 50% from the Americas, little over 20% from Europe, and the remaining portion, from the rest of the world. The company, said Panda, also plans to make small acquisitions. In June, L&T Technology Services acquired a 74% stake in Thales Software India Pvt. Ltd for an undisclosed sum to expand its avionics business. “In the next 15 days, we will acquire a US-based analytical and manufacturing engineering company that has operations in India. But we won’t be spending more than $50 million on any acquisition,” Panda said. In a 11 June interview, L&T executive chairman A.M. Naik had said the initial public offering (IPO) process for L&T Infotech and L&T Technology Services will start in July 2016. Naik had then also spoken about “…small-ticket acquisitions of around $30-40 million for its engineering services company”. Analysts see a lucrative business opportunity in technologies that enable devices to communicate with each other. In a 16 September note, research firm Gartner Inc. forecast that the installed base of “things”, excluding personal computers, tablets and smartphones, will grow to 26 billion units in 2020, adding there will be a $309 billion incremental revenue opportunity in 2020 for IOT suppliers from delivering products and services.

Software lobby group Nasscom expects the engineering and research and development (R&D) outsourcing industry in India to touch $40 billion by 2020 from the current $10-11 billion mark with automotive, telecom, retail and aerospace industries expected to outsource 40% of their engineering activities to engineering service providers by 2020. But the competition is stiff, too. Big- and mid-sized Indian IT services providers like Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Ltd, HCL Technologies Ltd, Wipro Ltd, Tech Mahindra Ltd, KPIT Technologies Ltd and Tata Technologies Ltd also have big clients in the engineering vertical, and partner with networking companies to provide similar solutions that take advantage of technologies like M2M or Machine-to-Machine (where information is collected by a sensor transmitted across a network of wired or wireless devices), and smart meters—that monitor consumption and use analytics.

The fact remains, though, that the engineering services segment is at “an inflection point with significant shifts in business models, increased demand for solutions and globalization driving up the competition amongst global players”, as noted in the ‘Global R&D Service Providers Rating 2013’ annual study by advisory firm Zinnov Management Consulting.This should alert engineering service providers, said the study, to look at opportunities such as “engineering analytics” since global companies are expected to spend over $27 billion on engineering analytics. Panda believes data analytics in engineering is far more complex than it is in the retail sector. “You have to account for factors like current, voltage, harmonics, etc., and know how to fix it,” he explained, concluding that the success of IOT-enabled sensors lie in reducing their cost, “something that we’re working on”.

Source:live mint

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Articles

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